Multi-colour sheet printing machine



April 12, 1955 w. KOCH MULTI-COLOUR SHEET PRINTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. '7; 1951 Inventor fi/EK M52 A d fl W flag/ 12:

April 12, 1955 w. KOCH 2,705,918

MULTI-COLOUR SHEET PRINTING MACHINE Filed Feb. '7. 1951 s Sheets-Sheetl Mala a a April 12, 1955 w. KOCH 2,705,918

MULTI-COLOU'R SHEET PRINTING MACHINE Filed Feb. '1, 1951 s Sheets-Sheet s United States Patent MULTI-COLOUR SHEET PRINTING MACHINE Werner Koch, Offenbach (Main), Germany, assignor to Faber & Schleicher Aktiengesellschaft, Offenbach (Main), Germany, a firm Application February 7, 1951, Serial No. 209,872

Claims priority, application Germany February 15, 1950 4 Claims. (Cl. 101-183) My invention relates to multi-colour sheet printing machines which are composed of several printing machines disposed one after another and driven by a main group drive.

In prior art multi-colour printing machines of this type the setting of each unit is very inconvenient and difiicult due to the rigid coupling of the several printing machines with the common main drive.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to overcome this disadvantage by enabling each printing unit to be independently set. This object is achieved by providing several printing units with both an auxiliary drive each and a coupling device which if the main drive is uncoupled connects the respective printing machine to its auxiliary drive and at the same time disengages or stops its transporting chain for the sheet movement.

It is another object of the invention to provide an appropriate coupling device which forms a double coupling comprising a single-tooth coupling for the main drive and a cone clutch for the auxiliary drive as well as one single-tooth coupling each for the receiving roller of one machine and the delivery roller of the other machine, respectively.

It is a further object of the invention to provide singletooth couplings for the receiving and delivery rollers which can be disengaged only if the grippers of the chain carriage are positioned out of the range of the impression cylinders.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent as the specification proceeds, my invention will be best understood by reference to the following specification and claims and the illustrations in the accompanying diagrammatical drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a multi-colour printing machine, showing one position of the coupling, partly in section;

Figure 2 is a fragmental view of the same machine, shown from the left;

Figure 3 is a fragmental view of the same machine, showing the other position of the coupling; and

Figure 4 is a side view in accordance with Figure 3, shown from the left.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the multi-colour printing machine consists of two five-cylinder offset machines which are generally marked by 1 and 2. Either five-cylinder machine is provided with an impression cylinder 3, two rubber cylinders 4, 5, and two plate cylinders 6, 7. For the purpose of a clear illustration the inking and distributing means of the plate cylinder are not shown. Each five-cylinder machine is provided with a receiving roller 8. The receiving roller 8 of the machine 1 is connected to a delivering roller by means of transporting chains 9 equipped with grippers and chain carriages (not shown). The rollers 8 of both machines are of the same diameter and consequently of the same speed of revolution as the impression cylinders 3 and the roller 10 in the printing unit 1. In this way the sheets are conveyed in fixed relation from the machine 1 to the impression cylinder 3 of the five-cylinder machine 2. As shown in Figure 2, a main driving motor 11 drives the multi-colour printing machine by means of a belt or other driving means 12 and a driving pulley 13. The pulley 13 is mounted on a driving shaft 14 which drives the five-cylinder machine 2 by means of bevel wheels 15, 16. A lay shaft 17 driving the printing machine 1 by means of bevel wheels 18, 19 is mounted in alignment with the shaft 14. Upon the end of the shaft 14 adjacent the shaft 17 there is mounted a sliding clutch member 20 the left side of which (Figure 1) constitutes a single-tooth coupling 21 with the right side of the driving pulley 13. The right side of the clutch member 20 forms a conical clutch portion 22 which cooperates with the respectively formed left side of a driving pulley 23 mounted upon the shaft 17. Said driving pulley 23 is connected to an auxiliary motor 25 by means of a belt drive 24 or the like, as shown in Figure 2. To a control shaft 26 of the coupling device there is attached a shifting lever 27 which is turnable in a plane perpendicular to Figures 1 and 3. To the right of the shifting lever 27 (Figures 1 and 3) there is disposed a lever 28 (Figures 2 and 4) which displaces the sliding clutch member 20 along the shaft 17 by means of a link 29 and a bell crank lever 30. The delivering roller 10 is coupled with its driving gear wheel 31a by means of a single-tooth coupling. For this purpose a displaceable coupling member 32 is keyed upon a shaft 31 carrying the roller 10, whereas a second coupling member 33 is rigidly attached to the gear wheel 31a by a sleeve 31b (Figure 2). The displacement of the coupling member 32 is effected by the shifting lever 27 by means of the control shaft 26, a connecting rod 34 and a bell crank lever 35 (Figure 2). The faces of the coupling members 32, 33 being turned towards one another each carry a coupling jaw 32a and 33a respectively. Inside the controlling recess of the coupling member 32 a notch or recess 36 is provided, the width of which corresponds to the width of a lug 37 forming a part of an arm 38 of the frame. Thus, a displacement of the coupling member 32 to the right (Figure 2) and, thence, a disengagement of the delivery roller 10 is only possible if the notch 36 is positioned precisely opposite to the lug 37. In this position of the groove 36 with respect to the lug 37 the grippers of the chain carriages (not shown) are positioned out of the range of the impression cylinders 3 of the five-cylinder machines 1 and 2. To the frame of the machine 2 there are fastened two switches 39, 40 between the contacts of which is disposed the head 41 of a lever 42 keyed upon the control shaft 26. In one end position of the shifting lever 27 (Figure 2) the head 41 of the lever 42 actuates the switch 40, and in the other (Figure 4) the switch 39.

The operation of the coupling device, described with reference to Figures 1 to 4, is as follows:

When the shifting lever occupies the position as shown in Figures 1 and 2 the single-tooth coupling 21 is engaged so as to enable the main driving motor 11 (Figure 2) to commonly drive the two five-cylinder machines 1, 2 by means of the belt drive 12, the main driving pulley 13, the shafts 14, 17, and the bevel wheels 15, 16 and 18, 19. As soon as the notch 36 is positioned accurately opposite to the lug 37 the shifting lever 27 can be shifted into the position shown in Figures 3 and 4 in which the clutch 32, 33 will be disengaged and, the transporting chain 9 released from the receiving roller 8 and the delivery roller 10, respectively, thus making possible an independent setting of the machines 1 and 2. After this setting operation the shifting lever 27 is reshifted into its initial position in accordance with Figures 1 and 2 so as to release the conical clutch portion 22 and to engage the single-tooth coupling 21. Finally, the clutches 32, 33 of the receiving roller 8 and of the delivering roller 10, respectively, are engaged by placing lever 27 into the position of Figure 2, whereby the two said rollers are reconnected to the driving gear wheels.

When the shifting lever 27 occupies the position as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the single-tooth coupling will be disengaged whereas the conical clutch position 22 will be engaged, thus permitting the auxiliary motor 25 (Figure 2) to drive the machine 1 by means of the belt drive 24, the auxiliary driving pulley 23, the shaft 17, and the bevel Wheels 18, 19. At the same time, the head 41 of the lever 42 has been changed-over from the switch 39 to the switch 40 so that, due to the release of the switch 39, the main driving motor 11 is switched off or, if more convenient, connected over a resistance (not shown) so as to continue its rotation at reduced speed. The switching in of the switch 40 thus causes the auxiliary motor 25 to start and the main motor 11 to work with slow speed thereby to assist or replace the auxiliary clutch 22, 23. Thus, the machine 2 can be driven with slow speed by means of the main motor 11 through the pulley 13, the shaft 14, and the bevel wheels 15, 16.

The manner of using and applying the illustrative embodiment of my invention set forth above will be clear from the foregoing description. It is, of course, to be understood that my invention is not limited to the specific embodiment thereof here shown and described for purposes of illustration only, especially the invention can be applied to multi-colour printing machines of other types of single printing machines. While the embodiments of the invention hereinbefore particularly described, for example the coupling elements, constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adapted according to practical requirements within the scope of the appended claims. Various changes and modifications may be made in the multi-colour sheet printing device set forth and in the structural details shown, without departing from the spirit and the leading ideas of this invention.

What I claim is:

I. In a multi-colour sheet printing machine consisting of two successively arranged individual printing machines, each comprising receiving and delivering rollers and a chain conveyer between said receiving and delivering r01"- ers driven from the printing machine in synchronism with the main cycle of operations of the machine for conveying sheets from one printing machine to the other, a main driving motor for driving said printing machines in unison, an auxiliary driving motor for driving one of said printing machines individually, motion transmitting means between said driving motors, coupling means including a one-tooth clutch for connecting and disconnecting said motion transmitting means, another one-tooth clutch for simultaneously coupling and uncoupling said receiving and delivering rollers, and hand-operated means for actuating said coupling device for the driving motors and the one-tooth clutch for the receiving and delivering rollers simultaneously.

2. In a multi-colour sheet printing machine consisting of two successively arranged individual printing machines comprising receiving and delivering rollers and a chain conveyer between said receiving and delivering rollers driven from the printing machine in synchronism with the main cycle of operations of the machine, a main driving motor for driving said printing machines in unison, an auxiliary driving motor for driving one of said printing machines individually, a main shaft, a main driving pulley on said main shaft forming a single-tooth clutch member at one of its sides for driving said printing machines in unison, a lay shaft in alignment with said main shaft, a driving pulley in connection with said auxiliary driving motor on said lay shaft and forming a cone clutch memher on its side facing the single-tooth member of the main driving pulley, a slidable clutch member having a single tooth and a cone clutch face, a hand lever for actuating said slidable clutch member, another one-tooth clutch for connecting and disconnecting the receiving and delivering rollers, and means movable by said hand lever for simultaneously actuating both the one-tooth clutch for the driving motor including the cone clutch and the onetooth clutch for the receiving and delivering rollers.

3. In a multi-colour sheet printing machine consisting of two successively arranged individual printing machines comprising a chain conveyer for conveying sheets from the receiving roller of one machine to the delivering roller of the other machine, both of which rollers being driven from the printing machine at the same speed with the impression cylinders of the machine, a main shaft and a main driving motor operatively connected to said shaft for driving both the said printing machines in unison, a lay shaft and an auxiliary driving motor operatively connected to said lay shaft for driving one of said printing machines individually, a driving pulley on said main shaft forming a one-tooth clutch member, a driving pulley on the lay shaft forming a cone-clutch member, said driving pulleys constituting the fast members of a double clutch for selectively driving either both or only one of said printing machines, a slidable clutch member between said driving pulleys, a hand lever for alternately engaging and disengaging said slidable clutch member with either of the said driving pulleys, a one-tooth clutch also comprising a slidable clutch member responsive to said hand lever for engaging and disengaging said receiving and delivering rollers, a recess in the slidable member of said last-named one-tooth clutch, a lug stationary on the machine permitting disengagement of said last-named one-tooth clutch only when in opposition to said recess on said slidable member, and a link and lever arrangement in connection with said hand lever for imparting movement to both the said sliding clutch members simultaneously.

4. A multi-colour printing machine as set forth in claim 3, in which the said hand lever is operativelv connected to a rocking arm for closing in one of its end positions an electric circuit to the main driving motor and in its other end position a circuit to the auxiliary driving motor, and two electric switches on the printing machine arranged for cooperation with the said rocking arm in its respective end positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,746,492 Newton et a1. Feb. 11, 1930 1,768,676 English July 1, 1930 1,849,219 Belluche Mar. 15, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 628,158 Great Britain Aug. 23, 1949 

